Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits
Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.
Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits
Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.
Senate Takes Another Look at Bipartisan Solution to Cyclical Violence Act
US Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS), recently reintroduced the Bipartisan Solution for Cyclical Violence Act in the 118th Congress.
Once enacted, the bill would establish a federal grant program under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create or expand hospital-based violence intervention or prevention programs and study the impacts of these programs on re-incarceration and hospital re-admittance rates to determine best practices. HHS would award grants at a level of $250,000 to $500,000 per grantee, over a 3-year period, for a total of $10 million.
The ACS expects the House version to be introduced soon and continues advocating for the bill to be authorized as part of the broader Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) reauthorization.
ACS Hosts Congressional Briefing on Potential National Trauma System
On May 18, the ACS hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill for Congressional staff and key stakeholders to enlighten them on the essential role of a trauma and emergency preparedness system.
Committee on Trauma (COT) Chair Jeff Kerby, MD, FACS, and COT Advocacy Pillar Chair John Armstrong, MD, FACS, walked Congressional staffers through the ACS concept for a National Trauma and Emergency Preparedness System, aimed at improving daily trauma care coordination and addressing gaps in preparedness and response. The briefing was timed to build on the momentum from the successful 2023 Leadership & Advocacy Summit (read a recap in the Bulletin) and as Congress works to reauthorize PAHPA.
STOP THE BLEED Legislation Is Reintroduced in US Senate
As part of May’s STOP THE BLEED Month, US Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and John Boozman (R-AR) reintroduced the Prevent Blood Loss with Emergency Equipment Devices (Prevent BLEEDing) Act.
The Prevent BLEEDing Act creates a grant program within the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to provide anti-blood loss supplies for use in a medical emergency and implement training on bleeding control techniques. The legislation also directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the trends on bleeding control kit access and training across rural, urban, and suburban areas, which would better inform future policy on the use and need for bleeding control kits.
Each year, more than 200,000 people die from traumatic injuries sustained from events such as vehicle crashes, falls, shootings, natural disasters, and accidental injury. With more than 45 million Americans living an hour or more away from a Level I or II trauma center, it is vital more than ever that every day Americans learn how to control bleeding. Just like with CPR training, a civilian familiar with basic bleeding control techniques is better equipped to save a life.
The ACS will play an active role in helping Congressional leaders advance this important bill.
Senate Committee Discusses Access to Healthcare in Rural Communities
On May 17, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on improving healthcare access in rural communities. The ACS submitted a statement for the record to the Senate Finance Committee, which focused on the healthcare workforce shortages and their impact on access to care.
One component of addressing workforce shortages highlighted in the statement centered around identifying where gaps in care exist. The ACS-supported Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act would direct the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to study and define general surgery workforce shortage areas and collect data on the adequacy of surgical services access, as well as specifically grant the agency authority to designate general surgery shortage areas.
Determining what constitutes a surgical shortage and designating areas where patients lack access to surgical services will provide HRSA with a valuable new tool for increasing access to the full spectrum of high-quality healthcare services.
The ACS will engage with key congressional committees, identifying opportunities for improving access to surgical services.
House Committee Holds Hearing on Price Transparency
On May 16, the House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on a patient’s right to access healthcare pricing information. The ACS submitted a statement to inform the hearing, supporting and building upon the work done through the PACES Center for Value in Healthcare.
The ACS has been involved with PACES since the organization was founded a decade ago, and the episode grouper and definitions maintained by PACES are clinically valid and account for the full range of clinicians and services involved in surgical care.
Price transparency for complex care, such as surgery, is different than for simple services or single encounters. Streamlining and coordinating the format and content of the different data sources related to the current price transparency programs are critical prerequisites for achieving transparency, but it is not enough in isolation. Once initial steps are completed, an episode grouper or similar tool can be used to generate patient-specific, risk-adjusted price estimates with a range of prices as experienced by similar patients.
The ACS will continue to work with Congressional leaders as they work on the implementation of statutory and regulatory transparency requirements.
Practice Management
Access 2023 Physicians as Assistants at Surgery Report
The ACS, in collaboration with 15 national specialty surgical organizations, recently released the 10th edition of its Physicians as Assistants at Surgery report. This report represents current clinical practices and consensus from the surgical community on how often a given procedure may require a physician to assist.
Using the 2023 American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codebook, all codes in the “Surgery” section were reviewed to determine whether the operation requires a physician as assistant:
Almost always
Almost never
Some of the time
It is important to note that a determination of “almost never” does not imply that an operation will never require a physician to assist; the ultimate decision to request a physician as an assistant at surgery lies with the primary surgeon and, when necessary, should be a payable service.
The 2023 Physicians as Assistants at Surgery report also reflects changes approved by the CPT Editorial Panel since the previous edition was published in 2020.
Negotiate a Fair Compensation Package with Help from New ACS Member Benefit
ACS members have a new benefit to help maximize their leverage during employment negotiations.
Compensation Data Reports from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) are available to ACS Fellows, Associate Fellows, or Resident members at a 45% discount.
Medical practices and hospital systems rely on MGMA data to benchmark their finances and operations, especially contracted rates for physicians of all specialties. Having similar information in your own hands can increase transparency and help ensure fair compensation.
Reports provide information on base pay, incentives, and benefits, as well as compensation trends by specialty, subspecialties, region, and organization size. This valuable resource is for residents, early career surgeons, and even seasoned surgeons who want to make sure they are being paid fairly for their skills and expertise.
2023 reports, based on 2022 data, are available for purchase.
View Popular Leadership Summit Seminar on Contract Negotiation for Free
For many surgeons, particularly those who are employed, a contract forms the foundation of the relationship with their employer. As opposed to employers, surgeons may have limited experience in the principles of negotiating an agreement that most effectively meets their objectives.
The 2023 Leadership and Advocacy Summit featured a mini seminar introducing surgeons to the basic concepts of contract negotiation with the goal of assisting them to be more successful. Presented by Cathy A. Costantino, Esq., an attorney at the Federal Despot Insurance Corporation, as well as law professor, negotiator, mediator, facilitator, and conflict management systems designer, this well-attended event is now available to view for free online.
Coding Workshop
Learn about Key Coding Updates for Hernias, Medicare, and More at In-Person ACS Coding Course
The next in-person ACS/Karen Zupko & Associates (KZA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding course will be held August 3–4, in Nashville, Tennessee.
August 3-4, 2023 Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, 2100 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN Reservation Phone: 877-879-7818 Register today!
With Medicare and third-party payer policy and coding changes taking effect in 2023—some with significant potential reductions in payment for surgeons—it is imperative that surgeons and their coding staff have accurate and up-to-date information to protect reimbursements while optimizing efficiency.
The course includes sessions on hospital E/M and critical care coding, Thursday, August 3 at 1:00–5:00 pm, and general surgery coding, Friday, August 4 at 8:00 am–4:00 pm.
Session #1: Reporting Hospital E/M Codes and Split/Shared and Critical Care Services Course
Topics covered will include E/M codes for inpatient/facility, major changes in CPT code selection, and major changes to Medicare’s billing rules for both split/shared services and critical care.
Session #2: General Surgery: Revenue and RVU Optimization Course
Topics covered will include the revamped abdominal hernia codes (e.g., the use of the same CPT codes for both laparoscopic and open procedures, and basing codes on the total size of the hernia). In addition, this session will cover coding for endoscopy, colorectal, and breast, among other procedures.
ACS members and their staff receive a registration discount. For issues with registration, email KZA at education@karenzupko.com, or call 312-642-8310.
